Security systems such as Electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems are known in the art for the prevention or deterrence of unauthorized removal of articles from a controlled area. In a typical EAS system, EAS markers (also known as tags or labels) are designed to interact with an electromagnetic field located at the exits of the controlled area, such as a retail store. These tags may also include radio frequency identification (“RFID”) components. The tags are attached to the articles to be protected. As clever as security systems engineers have become in designing mechanisms to prevent the unauthorized removal of tags from the article to which it is attached, wrongdoers have become equally adept and coming up with clever ways to remove these tags and simply walk out of a store with the article undetected.
Many security tags include a pin that is inserted through the tag and secured in a clamp within the interior housing of the tag. These tags are often referred to as “hard tags” and are removed at the point-of-sale (“POS”). At the POS, a hook (e.g., such as the conventional probe 8 or external tool described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,419 to Nguyen et al.) is typically inserted through the tag, which rotates the clamp and releases the pin so that the tag can be safely separated from the item. Wrongdoers have created similar hooks that perform the same task, thus allowing them to remove the tags from the article prior to the POS. Needless to say, retail stores are looking for ways to overcome the cleverness of these wrongdoers by providing additional features that could be incorporated into the tag and which would prevent the pin from being withdrawn from the tag even if the hook is inserted within the tag and the tag's clamp rotated. However, methods that have been devised to accomplish this are either too cumbersome, too expensive, or make it extremely difficult for the cashier at the POS to remove the tag after an authorized purchase of an article.
Therefore, what is needed is a security tag that includes a mechanism to prevent the unauthorized removal of a security tag from its article by providing an additional deterrent to wrongdoers over and above the mere insertion of a hook within the tag while not interfering with the authorized removal of the tag from after an authorized purchase of the article.